Kaumatule finds home at last
Luke Kaumatule has been through so many position changes at Stanford that he was asked when he would get his turn at quarterback. That’s not going to happen, he said, but quipped that he asked special teams coach Pete Alamar about the placekicking job.
It was no joke when he went through numerous position switches during his first couple of years on the Farm. He never got settled.
“I take as much blame as anybody,” head coach David Shaw said. “We wanted him on defense, but we needed him to play tight end. Then outside linebacker, defensive line, outside linebacker, defensive line.”
As a tight end, he was behind Zach Ertz and a host of others on the depth chart as a freshman, then Austin Hooper and Greg Taboada as a sophomore.
In 2014 he became a full-time defensive end, but the coaches felt he needed more time to develop, so he redshirted last season. Randy Hart, then the defensive line coach, wanted him to bulk up, so the 6-foot-7 end went up to 305 pounds.
But Hart retired, and his replacement, Diron Reynolds, and defensive coordinator Lance Anderson felt he’d be quicker if he was lighter. So he cut down to his current 284. He wants to be 275 eventually.
Reynolds likes his potential. “A guy of his stature and size and leg ability has the opportunity to play a lot of positions,” he said. “I’m glad he’s in our room.”
Kaumatule credits defensive line star Solomon Thomas with giving him a lot of pointers: “If I get down on myself or frustrated, Solomon is the one pulling me to the side and saying, ‘Hey, let’s work on your stance or the details.’ When I get back on the field, I’m blowing people up and making plays. It’s the little things, and Solomon sees it.”
Shaw points out this is the longest tenure Kaumatule has had at Stanford at one position. “He has a comfort level with it now,” he said. “He knows the techniques. He understands the defense better. He has all the tools — size, length, temperament, athleticism, quickness. I’m hoping he makes a splash this year.”
Kaumatule comes from a huge Hawaiian family loaded with football players. He used to wear No. 98 because it belonged to his cousin, Matt Masifilo, when he played defensive line at Stanford from 2008-2011. But 99 is the number most of his relatives wore, including his brother, Canton, a sophomore defensive lineman at Oregon. So that’s what Luke wears now.
At the end of practice Tuesday, Shaw told the players they were going to take a break from the grueling practice routine and go to a movie, “Hell or High Water.” As they cheered, Kaumatule was so overjoyed he picked up Shaw in a bear hug.
“You remember what it was like to be a kid and somebody much larger than you comes in and picks you up,” Shaw said. “He’s just a big, big, happy human being. I’m so glad we redshirted him, and I’m excited for him to have a good year.”
“If I get down on myself or frustrated, Solomon is the one pulling me to the side and saying, ‘Hey, let’s work on your stance or the details.’ When I get back on the field, I’m blowing people up and making plays.” Luke Kaumatule, on how teammate Solomon Thomas has helped him transition to defensive end